Following his death in 2019,
Dr. John's estate has been very careful about posthumous releases.
Things Happen That Way appeared in 2022; recorded during his final months, it wonderfully reflected a very intimate portrait of
Mac Rebennack playing covers, standards, and originals.
The Montreux Years compiles stellar
Dr. John performances at the revered jazz festival between 1986 and 2012. His Night Tripper persona was retired, and from the beginning of the 1980s, he focused on releasing records that drew directly on the NOLA piano tradition. They revealed his debt to mentor and teacher
Professor Longhair, peer
James Booker,
Isidore "Tuts" Washington, and
Fats Domino, to name a few.
Following a stage introduction, the first four tracks find
Rebennack playing solo. He opens with the incendiary "Professor Longhair Boogie," a choogling stride romp that pays tribute to the teacher's example, shifting gears from boogie-woogie's standard I-IV-V progression to incorporate Latin rhythms. He follows it with the blues "You Ain't Such a Much" and the raucous R&B stride piano of
Chris Kenner's "Sick and Tired." The 1986 performance continues with a commanding version of the classic "Stack-A-Lee." The entire atmosphere is altered to a swinging blues and jazz party during
Johnny Mercer's "Accentuate the Positive." Drawn from a 2007 performance, it features the
Lower 911, one of
Dr. John's finest bands. The lone selection from his group's 2004 performance is a rowdy, deeply souled-out reading of his hit "Right Place, Wrong Time." A ten-minute "Going Back to New Orleans" from 1993 features a big band, wild Latin rhythms, and a healthy collection of solos. From 1995, the big horn section swings under
Rebennack's glorious piano on the standard "Makin' Whoopee." His low, wry, gravelly singing voice is perfectly suited to all the material on offer here. A serious argument can be made for this particular version of
Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" from the 2011 festival as the set's real highlight. Funky as hell, it features
Trombone Shorty ripping it up on trumpet. The set's only drawback, occasionally, is its sequencing. For example, immediately following this raucous barn burner is the laid-back, seven-plus-minute instrumental solo piano medley of "In a Sentimental Mood"/"Mississippi Mud"/"Happy Hard Times." It's just too relaxed to enjoy fully due to that placement. The version of
Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" from 2007 features a killer tenor sax solo from
Alvin "Red" Tyler, as the tune cooks, grooves, and struts with greasy intensity. The album closes with a solo version of "Good Night Irene," offered in tribute to friend and piano god
James Booker and its composer,
Lead Belly.
Rebennack captures the late
Booker's canny nuances, wedding classical and blues, jazz and rent party boogie with a second line sensibility. While the sequencing is a minor issue, these performances are inspired and electrifying. Fans will delight in
The Montreux Years' portrait of a master musician at the very top of his abilities, but it will also serve to endear newcomers to
Dr. John's music and legacy. ~ Thom Jurek
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